Women for Wildlife is a fiscally sponsored project of Earth Island Institute (EII), a 501(c)(3) organization. EII has received the highest rating from Charity Navigator — America’s largest independent evaluator of non-profit organizations.

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Jennifer Palmer, Founder

Jennifer is an impassioned wildlife biologist, a global educator, public speaker, and an intrepid lover of nature. She travels the world to find creative solutions to our most pressing conservation conundrums and aims to create a paradigm shift in how we connect to nature and co-exist in harmony. As founder of Women for Wildlife, she leads an international movement to conserve wildlife and empower communities. Her work has led her to become a trusted advisor to nonprofits, governments, foundations, film producers and business leaders around the world.

She holds a master's degree in International Applied Ecology and Conservation from the University of East Anglia in the UK and a bachelor's degree in Biology from University of California, Santa Cruz. Jennifer's career reflects a unique blend of international travel adventures and wildlife research in over 45 countries, in regions such as SE Asia, the South Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, and North America.

Mia Canestrini, Ambassador: Europe

Graduate in Natural Sciences at the University of Bologna with a specialization in Animal Biodiversity at the University La Spaienza, Rome. Mia has over 15 years experience in wolf conservation and management and works as a field technician at the Wolf Apennie Center, Appennino tosco - Emiliano National Park Italy. As our European Ambassador, Mia has helped cultivate a network of over 800 women across Europe and leads our Women for Wildlife: Europe Chapter.

Carla Geyser, Ambassador: Africa

Carla is an adventurer, conservationist, humanitarian and expedition leader of the 2018 Rise of the Matriarch Expedition. She is the founder of Blue Sky Society Trust - an organization committed to making a meaningful difference in wildlife conservation in Africa. She has spent the past six years traveling extensively through the continent, helping better lives of people in need and doing her bit to protect beautiful animals.

April Kelly, Ambassador: Northeast (NY/DC)

April is a wildlife conservationist/biologist for Climb for Conservation. She has a Master's in Zoology/Wildlife Conservation and completed fieldwork courses for grad school in: Belize: working with manatees and howler monkeys, Borneo: working with orangutans and nine other species of primates, and Namibia: working with cheetahs. April has conducted fieldwork all over the world with multiple different endangered and threatened species, including her most recent projects working with jaguars in Costa Rica and Brazil (in partnership with Panthera). She is currently Directing her first documentary film in the Brazilian Pantanal to examine the coexistence between humans and jaguars in the region

Mirna Manteca, Ambassador: Latin America

A conservation biologist from the Universidad de Sonora, in Mexico, Mirna is passionate about promoting community-based conservation and empowerment of local communities. Her career as a biologist has always been influenced by her experiences with locals and their livelihoods, and a desire to build regional cooperation to protect land and wildlife. She’s been working in the Sky Island Region of the US-Mexico borderlands for the past 5 years in wildlife monitoring, road ecology, community engagement, and documenting critical water sources. She’s the founder of Wandering Wallflowers, a group travel service for introverted women. Offering a safe space for women to travel while allocating a percentage of profits to support conservation organizations and initiatives. Mirna is an expert wildlife tracker and butterfly lover. She finds happiness in desert monsoon season and evenings serenaded by coyotes.